BY 


A.  C.  TRUE,  Ph.  13., 

Director  of  the  Office  of  Experimen  t  Stations. 


Reprint  from  Yearbook  of  Department  of  Agriculture  for  1897. 


CONTENTS. 


Page. 

Introduction . . . . . .  279 

Education  through  the  publications  of  the  Department  and  the  experiment 

Siiat&tafe  !  Tr<  H  6  o  Cl  IV  n  f  rr  r  dfq 

The  f  arnaers’  institute-^the  adult  farmers’  school  i  _  ;  .  280 

Short  and  special  courses  in  agriculture- _ _ _ _  _ _ _ _  r  281 

Home  reading  in  agriculture _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _  282 

The  New  York  plan  for  university  extension  in  agriculture _  283 

Nature  teaching  in  the  rural  schools _ _ _ . _ _ _  285 

Nature  teaching  should  be  introduced  in  common  schools . . . . .  286 

High-school  courses  in  agriculture.... ...  ...... _ _ _  ... _  _  287 

Conclusion . . . _ .... . .  _ _ _ _ _ _  289 


ILLUSTRATIONS. 


Plate  II.  Fig.  1. — Dairy  building,  University  of  Minnesota.  Fig.  2. — Girls’ 
Home  building,  School  of  Agriculture,  Minnesota . 


u 


288 


[Reprint  from  Yearbook  of  Department  of  Agriculture  for  1897.] 


POPULAR  EDUCATION  FOR  THE  FARMER  IN  THE 

UNITED  STATES. 

By  A.  C.  True,  Ph.  D., 

Director  of  the  Office  of  Experiment  Stations. 

INTRODUCTION. 

§ 

If  a  farmer’s  boy  lias  obtained  a  good  common-school  education  and 
can  command  the  means  to  spend  four  years  at  school  away  from 
home,  he  can  have  a  thorough  course  in  agricultural  science  and  prac¬ 
tice  free  of  charge  for  tuition  and  at  comparatively  small  expense  for 
living,  for  agricultural  colleges  are  now  in  operation  in  every  State 
and  Territory.  A  considerable  number  of  students  are  now  pursuing 
such  courses,  and  undoubtedly  many  more  might  profitably  under¬ 
take  them.  The  importance  of  thorough  technical  training  in  the 
industrial  arts  is  increasingly  recognized.  Agriculture  is  no  excep¬ 
tion  to  the  rule,  and  we  may  expect  to  see  our  agricultural  colleges 
growing  stronger  in  resources  and  students  year  by  year.  But  it  is 
also  much  clearer  now  than  when  these  colleges  were  established  that 
their  chief  functions  must  necessarily  be  to  train  the  leaders  in  agri¬ 
cultural  progress,  and  that  they  are  and  will  be  unable  to  meet  the 
needs  of  the  masses  of  farmers’  children.  From  the  colleges  are  to 
come  the  investigators,  teachers,  journalists,  and  managers  of  agricul¬ 
tural  enterprises  and  industries  requiring  a  relatively  high  degree  of 
scientific  knowledge  and  expert  training  for  their  successful  operation. 

The  length  and  expense  of  a  four-years’  college  course  will  remain 
indefinitely  as  a  barrier  over  which  the  average  farmer’s  son  can  not 
climb.  The  recognition  of  this  fundamental  fact,  and  the  rapidly 
increasing  evidence  that  the  farmer,  as  well  as  the  business  man  and 
artisan,  needs  special  training  for  his  occupation,  have  combined  to 
create  a  strong  demand  for  other  agencies  besides  the  colleges  for  the 
farmer’s  education.  The  first  responses  to  this  demand  have  been 
attempts  to  meet  the  educational  needs  of  adult  farmers.  These 
attempts  have  been  largely  made  in  connection  with  the  agricultural 
colleges. 

EDUCATION  THROUGH  THE  PUBLICATIONS  OF  THE  DEPARTMENT  AND 

THE  EXPERIMENT  STATIONS. 

The  most  important  and  wide-reaching  effort  for  the  popular  edu¬ 
cation  of  the  masses  of  our  farmers  thus  far  made  has  been  through 
the  agricultural  experiment  stations  and  the  Department  of  Agricul- 

279  . 


280  YEARBOOK  OF  THE  DEPARTMENT  OF  AGRICULTURE. 


ture.  In  one  sense  these  stations  are  the  crowning  feature  of  our 
agricultural  colleges.  They  are  departments  of  original  research, 
whose  primary  object  is  to  search  for  new  truth  in  order  that  the 
boundaries  of  human  knowledge  regarding  agricultural  science  and 
practice  may  be  enlarged.  But  under  the  law  the  stations  have  been 
compelled  to  issue  frequent  bulletins  for  distribution  among  the 
farmers,  and  it  was  soon  discovered  that  the  only  way  by  which  the  sta¬ 
tions  could  clearly  set  forth  the  results  of  their  original  in  vestigations 
so  that  the  masses  of  the  farmers  might  understand  and  utilize  them 
was  to  furnish  a  large  amount  of  preliminary  information  explaining 
the  progress  made  in  various  lines  of  agricultural  theory  and  practice 
prior  to  the  establishment  of  our  stations.  Hence,  a  great  deal  of  the 
time  and  energy  of  our  station  workers  has  thus  far  been  spent  in 
educating  the  farmers  through  bulletins  of  information.  Indeed, 
so  popular  has  this  kind  of  publications  proved  that  the  pressure 
upon  station  officers  to  prepare  them  has  often  compelled  them  to 
defer  other  important  work,  and  this  task  is  still  a  serious  hindrance 
to  the  progress  of  our  stations  along  the  lines  of  research  for  which 
they  Avere  established.  Some  idea  of  the  extent  of  this  work  may  be 
obtained  from  the  fact  that  during  the  past  year  the  stations  issued 
^"'"'407  bulletins,  which  Avere  mailed  to  506, 100  addresses.  The  total  num¬ 
ber  of  pages  in  these  publications  Avas  15,785.  The  United  States 
Department  of  Agriculture  has  aided  in  this  movement  through 
numerous  publications,  especially  the  Farmers’  Bulletins,  of  which 
over  2,000,000  copies  Avere  distributed  last  year,  and  the  Yearbook,  of 
which  500,000  copies  are  annually  printed. 

THE  FARMERS’  INSTITUTE — THE  ADULT  FARMERS’  SCHOOL. 

Meantime  the  farmers’  institutes  have  been  extending  their  Avork. 
These  have  been  an  outgrowth  or  extension  of  the  “open  ”  or  “public” 
meetings  held  by  State  or  local  agricultural  societies.  While  they 
haATe  not  displaced  such  meetings,  they  iioav  exceed  them  in  number 
and  popularity,  and  ha\Te  become  important  agents  in  the  education 
of  the  farmer  in  a  number  of  States. 

The  institute  is  the  adult  farmers’  school.  Here  they  may  learn 
from  scientists  and  investigators  the  principles  Avhich  underlie  the 
art  of  agriculture,  and  from  successful  farmers  the  best  methods  of 
applying  those  principles.  The  scientist  at  the  same  time  learns  the 
needs  of  the  farmer  and  finds  out  from  the  results  of  actual  practice 
the  truth  or  falsity  of  theories  and  deductions  made  from  experi¬ 
ments  on  a  limited  scale.  The  views  of  both  farmer  and  experi¬ 
menter  are  broadened,  and  sympathetic  relations  are  established  by 
the  close  social  contact  which  marks  the  institute  in  its  most  per¬ 
fect  form. 

The  institutes  are  carried  on  under  various  auspices  and  are  sup¬ 
ported  in  very  different  Avays  in  different  sections,  but  the  character 


POPULAR  EDUCATION  FOR  THE  FARMER. 


281 


of  the  meetings  themselves  is  everywhere  essentially  the  same.  They 
may  last  for  hut  half  a  day,  as  in  Louisiana,  where  the  farmers 
assemble  once  a  month  at  the  experiment  station,  or  may  continue 
three  or  four  days.  The  tendency,  however,  seems  to  be  toward 
shortening  the  duration  and  increasing  the  number  of  the  meetings, 
thus  distributing  them  among  a  greater  number  of  localities.  They 
are  usually  held  during  the  winter,  when  the  stress  of  the  farm  work 
is  somewhat  lessened,  but  in  some  States  very  valuable  meetings  have 
been  held  at  other  seasons  of  the  year,  the  character  of  the  work 
being  adapted  to  some  need  specially  felt  at  the  time. 

The  programmes  are  planned  to  promote  the  interchange  of  ideas, 
a  full  and  free  discussion  being  sought  upon  topics  introduced  in  an 
address  or  paper  by  some  specialist.  Speakers  upon  scientific  sub¬ 
jects  and  successful  farmers  who  have  attained  more  than  local 
reputations  are  usually  selected  as  institute  workers  by  those  who 
have  charge  of  the  system  of  institutes  for  the  State,  or  they  may  be 
chosen  by  the  local  authorities  from  lists  of  such  workers  prepared  by 
the  central  bureau.  The  local  committee  invites  successful  farmers 
of  the  neighboring  districts  to  explain  their  methods  and  provides 
music' and  literary  or  other  general  exercises.  All  persons  in  attend¬ 
ance,  the  humblest  as  well  as  the  most  prominent,  are  urged  to  ask 
questions  upon  points  suggested  in  the  addresses  and  to  present 
related  facts  gained  from  personal  experience.  A  “question  box”  is 
frequently  made  use  of,  answers  being  given  by  the  conductor  of  the 
institute  or  by  some  one  specially  fitted  to  supply  the  information 
asked. 

For  the  evening  sessions  the  usual  plan  is  to  have  a  popular  lecture 
upon  some  subject  of  general  agricultural  interest.  This  address  is 
made  somewhat  more  elaborate  and  complete  than  those  of  the  day 
sessions,  and  less  opportunity  is  given  for  discussion. 

The  institutes  have  been  so  successful  and  so  popular  in  States 
where  they  are  carefully  and  systematically  conducted  that  there  is 
a  growing  demand  for  increase  in  their  number  and  frequency  in 
these  States  and  for  the  extension  of  similar  systems  to  States  which 
now  hold  institutes  at  irregular  and  infrequent  intervals. 

In  nearly  all  the  States  and  Territories  institutes  or  meetings  of 
similar  character  are  now  held  with  more  or  less  frequency  and 
regularity. 

SHORT  AND  SPECIAL  COURSES  IN  AGRICULTURE. 

The  agricultural  colleges  have  further  sought  to  meet  the  demand 
for  more  elementary  and  practical  education  in  agriculture  by  estab¬ 
lishing  short  courses.  These  may  either  cover  agriculture  in  general 
or  be  confined  to  some  special  line,  as  dairying.  The  courses  offered 
by  the  University  of  Wisconsin  may  serve  to  illustrate  this  feature 
of  the  American  system  for  agricultural  education.  “The  short 


282  YEARBOOK  OF  THE  DEPARTMENT  OF  AGRICULTURE. 


course  in  agriculture,”  it  is  stated,  “is  designed  to  meet  the  wants 
of  young  farmers  who  desire  practical,  helpful  instruction  in  agricul¬ 
ture  before  taking  up  their  chosen  vocation.  This  course  covers  two 
terms  of  twelve  weeks  each,  beginning  the  first  of  January  each  year.” 
It  includes  lectures  on  feeds  and  feeding,  breeds  of  live  stock,  agri¬ 
cultural  chemistry,  agricultural  physics  and  meteorology,  plant  life, 
veterinary  science,  dairying,  farih  bookkeeping,  horticulture,  agri¬ 
cultural  economics,  and  bacteriology.  Laboratory  practice  is  given 
in  dairying,  physics,  plant  life,  stock  judging,  and  horticulture,  and 
practical  work  in  carpentry  and  blacksmithing.  The  dairy  course 
occupies  one  term  and  includes  theoretical  and  practical  instruction 
in  the  science  and  practice  of  dairying  and  dairy  farming.  It  is 
definitely  planned  to  meet  the  needs  of  persons  intending  “to  operate 
creameries  and  cheese  factories,”  and  has  been  very  successful  in 
training  men  competent  for  work  of  this  kind.  The  students  engage 
in  milk  testing,  operate  separators  and  butter  extractors,  and  attend 
to  the  ripening  of  the  cream,  churning  and  packing  butter,  and  all 
the  operations  of  a  creamery  and  cheese  factory. 

HOME  READING  IN  AGRICULTURE. 

Various  plans  for  extending  the  influence  of  the  agricultural  col¬ 
leges  among  the  farmers  by  what  is  known  as  university  extension 
work  have  been  tried  during  the  past  five  or  six  years.  One  of  the 
most  interesting  of  these  movements  was  inaugurated  by  the  State 
College  of  Pennsylvania.  In  1892  this  college  offered  a  course  desig¬ 
nated  as  “  Home  reading  in  agriculture,”  the  main  features  of  which 
were  as  follows: 

(1)  A  carefully  prepared  course  of  reading  designed  to  cover  the  most  important 
branches  of  agricultural  science  and  practice. 

(2)  A  reduction  of  price  upon  the  books  needed,  all  of  which  were  standard 
works. 

(3)  Personal  advice  and  assistance  through  correspondence. 

(4)  Examinations  upon  subjects  read,  with  certificates  and  diplomas  for  those 
attaining  certain  grades  of  excellence. 

This  course  attracted  considerable  attention  at  home  and  abroad 
and  received  numerous  applications  for  admission  from  students,  a 
number  of  whom  did  excellent  work,  completed  their  prescribed 
course,  and  received  diplomas. 

During  the  following  years  the  number  of  students  was  largely 
increased,  and  a  demand  was  made  by  them  for  more  extended  work 
and  more  individual  aid  from  the  college.  To  meet  this  demand  the 
list  of  books  has  been  largely  increased,  now  constituting  five  divi¬ 
sions  of  five  books  each  upon  the  subjects  of  crop  production,  animal 
production,  horticulture,  dairying,  and  domestic  economy.  In  addi¬ 
tion  to  these  twenty-five  books,  a  supplementary  list  of  fifteen  books 
is  added,  from  which  students  may  select  books  to  form  additional 
courses  if  they  desire. 


POPULAR  EDUCATION  FOR  THE  FARMER. 


283 


The  course  consists  of  thorough  study  of  ten  books  and  a  satisfac¬ 
tory  examination  upon  the  same. 

To  meet  the  demand  made  by  the  students  for  greater  aid  from  the 
college,  lessons  have  been  provided  on  various  books  in  the  course. 
These  are  sent  to  students  free  of  cost.  These  lessons  aim  to  give 


new  matter,  or,  in  other  words,  to  bring  the  book  up  to  date,  to  make 
suggestions  for  study,  observation,  and  experiment,  and  to  give  page 
references  to  the  book.  Each  lesson  is  accompanied  by  an  examina¬ 
tion  paper  covering  the  subject  of  the  lesson.  Students  are  required 
to  satisfactorily  answer  these  examination  questions  or  discuss  the 
topics  there  mentioned  before  they  can  receive  a  second  lesson. 


THE  NEW  YORK  PLAN  FOR  UNIVERSITY  EXTENSION  IN  AGRICULTURE. 


In  1894  the  legislature  of  New  York  passed  a  bill  out  of  which  has 
grown  a  movement  in  behalf  of  agricultural  education,  which  bids 
fair  to  make  a  deep  and  lasting  impression,  especially  upon  the  com¬ 
mon  schools.  The  Nixon  bill,  as  it  is  popularly  called,  grew  out  of 
a  desire  on  the  part  of  certain  persons  in  Chautauqua  County,  N.  Y., 
to  have  the  experiment  station  connected  with  the  College  of  Agri¬ 
culture  of  Cornell  University  undertake  some  cooperative  experiments 
in  their  vineyards.  As  finally  passed,  the  act  gave  $8,000  to  the  sta¬ 
tion  “for  the  purpose  of  horticultural  experiments,  investigations, 
instruction,  and  information  in  western  New  York.”  The  work  was 
organized  under  Prof.  L.  H.  Bailey,  and  consisted  of  investigations  in 
horticulture,  plant  diseases,  and  entomology;  teaching  by  means  of 
itinerant  schools  and  lectures,  and  the  publication  of  bulletins  of 
information.  So  successful  was  the  first  year’s  operations  that  the 
appropriation  was  increased  to  $16,000  for  the  next  two  years.  The 
educational  features  of  the  enterprise  were  extended,  with  the  effect 
that  the  legislature  of  1897  made  an  appropriation  of  $25,000  for  “the 
promotion  of  agricultural  knowledge  in  the  State,”  and  put  this  in 
charge  of  the  College  of  Agriculture  instead  of  the  experiment  station. 
The  work  now  in  progress  is  much  wider  in  scope  and  more  thor¬ 
oughly  organized  than  that  hitherto  attempted.  It  retains,  however, 
the  main  features  of  the  previous  enterprise.  These  are — 

(1)  The  itinerant  or  local  experiment  as  a  means  of  teaching. 

(2)  The  readable  expository  bulletin. 

(3)  The  itinerant  school. 

(4)  Elementary  nature  teaching  in  the  rural  school. 

(5)  Instruction  by  means  of  correspondence  and  reading  courses. 

Several  hundred  simple  field  experiments  with  fertilizers,  potatoes, 
and  sugar  beets  have  been  conducted  the  past  season  in  different 
parts  of  the  State.  Several  bulletins,  with  numerous  illustrations, 
have  been  widely  circulated.  Numerous  itinerant  schools  have  been 
held.  “These  are  meetings  which  last  two  or  more  days,  at  which 
time  certain  instructors  take  up  definite  lines  of  instruction,  giving 


284  YEARBOOK  OF  THE  DEPARTMENT  OF  AGRICULTURE. 


by  far  the  greater  part  of  tlieir  attention  to  underlying  principles  and 
not  to  mere  facts  or  methods.”  The  attempt  to  introduce  nature 
teaching  into  the  rural  schools  has  aroused  much  popular  interest. 
The  purpose  and  method  of  this  work  have  been  fully  set  forth  in  a 
recent  bulletin  and  are  here  summarized.  It  was  conceived  that  the 
fundamental  difficulty  with  our  agricultural  condition  was  that  there 
was  no  attempt  to  instruct  the  children  in  matters  which  will  awaken 
an  interest  in  country  life,  and  therefore  that  the  place  in  which  to 
begin  to  correct  the  agricultural  status  was  with  the  children  and  the 
rural  schools.  For  the  purpose  of  determining  what  should  be  done 
many  rural  and  village  schools  were  visited  during  the  past  year  and 
simple  lessons  were  given  on  natural  objects.  The  result  was  that 
all  the  instructors  were  impressed  with  the  readiness  with  which 
the  children  imbibed  the  information,  their  keen  desire  for  it  and 
appreciation  of  it,  and  the  almost  universal  interest  which  teachers 
took  in  this  kind  of  work.  It  was  clear  that  the  greatest  good  which 
could  be  rendered  to  the  agricultural  communities  was  to  awaken  an 
interest  in  nature  study  on  the  part  of  teachers  and  children.  In 
order  to  facilitate  teaching  in  this  direction,  leaflets  were  issued  to 
show  teachers  how  nature  study  may  be  presented  to  the  pupils,  and 
these  have  been  received  with  the  greatest  enthusiasm  by  educators 
and  many  others  who  have  examined  them. 

The  outgrowth  of  this  work  with  the  schools  is  that  it  seems  certain 
that  the  best  way  in  which  to  reach  the  pupils  and  the  teachers  is  by 
short  and  sharp  observations  upon  plants,  insects,  and  other  natural 
objects,  and  not  by  means  of  definite  lectures  of  stated  lengths.  This 
work  has  already  been  presented  to  the  leachers  at  some  of  their  insti¬ 
tutes,  where  ib  has  also  met  with  favor,  and  it  has  received  the  com¬ 
mendation  of  the  superintendent  of  public  instruction  and  other 
persons  in  authority.  So  far  as  the  present  outlook  is  concerned,  it 
is,  perhaps,  not  too  much  to  say  that  many  believe  that  this  move¬ 
ment,  directed  toward  the  young  people  of  the  rural  communities,  is 
the  most  important  one  which  has  developed  in  agriculture  since  the 
consummation  of  the  experiment-station  idea. 

Instruction  by  means  of  correspondence  has  been  an  outgrowth  of 
the  last  year.  There  were  about  1,600  readers  upon  the  lists  at  the 
close  of  the  first  three  months.  It  is  the  plan  in  this  reading  course 
to  set  the  farmers  to  reading  upon  certain  definite  subjects,  and  then 
to  make  them  think  upon  those  subjects  by  periodical  questioning. 

Some  months  ago  the  College  of  Agriculture  had  enrolled  under  the 
head  of  “University  extension  work  ”  15,000  pupils  and  10,000  teachers 
of  the  public  schools  and  1,600^ young  farmers.  The  pupils  and  farmers 
receive  guidance  by  means  of  printed  circulars,  and  the  farmers  report 
progress  and  difficulties  upon  special  blanks,  which  are  furnished. 
Six  instructors  are  employed  throughout  the  State  in  conducting 
university  extension  work,  and  special  teachers  are  employed  from 


POPULAR  EDUCATION  FOR  THE  FARMER. 


285 


time  to  time  as  occasion  requires.  These  instructors  meet  the 
teachers  of  the  public  schools  in  the  presence  of  their  pupils  and  at 
teachers’  associations  and  institutes  for  the  purpose  of  illustrating 
methods  for  teaching  nature  studies  directly  or  indirectly  related  to 
agriculture.  The  leaflets  furnished  serve  as  texts  for  the  subjects 
taught. 

'The  result  of  pushing  this  educational  motive  into  the  rural  com¬ 
munities  has  been  a  most  decided  waking  up  of  those  communities, 
which,  even  if  the  work  were  to  stop  at  the  present  time, will  continue 
to  exert  an  influence  for  a  generation  and  more. 

All  this  work  lias  been  experimental — an  attempt  to  discover  the 
best  method  of  teaching  the  people  in  agriculture.  The  promoters  of 
this  movement  believe  that  the  most  efficient  means  of  elevating  the 
ideals  and  practice  of  the  rural  communities  are  as  follows,  in  approxi¬ 
mately  the  order  of  fundamental  importance:  (1)  The  establishment 
of  nature  study  or  object-lesson  study,  combined  with  field  walks  and 
incidental  instruction  in  the  principles  of  farm  practice,  in  the  rural 
schools;  (2)  the  establishment  of  correspondence  instruction  in  con¬ 
nection  with  reading  courses,  binding  together  the  university,  the 
rural  schools,  and  all  rural  literaiy  or  social  societies;  (3)  itinerant 
or  local  experiment  and  investigation,  made  chiefly  as  object  lessons 
to  farmers,  and  not  for  the  purpose,  primarily,  of  discovering  scien¬ 
tific  facts;  (4)  the  publication  of  reading  bulletins  which  shall  inspire 
a  quickened  appreciation  of  rural  life,  and  which  may  be  used  as 
texts  in  rural  societies  and  in  the  reading  courses,  and  which  shall 
prepare  the  way  for  the  reading  of  the  more  extended  literature  in 
books;  (5)  the  sending  out  of  special  agents  as  lecturers  or  teachers  or 
as  investigators  of  special  local  difficulties  or  as  itinerant  instructors 
in  the  normal  schools  and  before  the  training  classes  of  the  teachers’ 
institutes;  (6)  the  itinerant  agricultural  school,  which  shall  be 
equipped  with  the  very  best  teachers,  and  which  shall  be  given  as 
rewards  to  the  most  intelligent  and  energetic  communities. 

NATURE  TEACHING  IN  THE  RURAL  SCHOOLS. 

There  are  many  interesting  points  in  the  scheme  of  university 
extension  work  for  agriculture  thus  outlined,  but  particular  attention 
should  be  given  to  that  part  of  it  which  relates  to  the  introduction  of 
nature  teaching  in  the  common  schools.  For  more  than  a  hundred 
years  schemes  for  the  teaching  of  agriculture  in  the  common  schools 
have  from  time  to  time  been  put  forward  and  have  attracted  more  or 
less  public  notice.  None  of  them,  however,  has  been  found  practi¬ 
cable.  This  is  largely  because  they  have  ignored  the  conditions 
existing  in  our  common  schools,  as  well  as  the  nature  of  the  subjects 
with  which  the  theory  and  practice  of  agriculture  deal.  The  great 
object  of  teaching  agriculture  in  school  courses  must  ever  be  to 
acquaint  students  with  the  principles  on  which  sound  practice  should 


YEARBOOK  OF  THE  DEPARTMENT  OF  AGRICULTURE. 


286 

be  based  and  show  the  direction  in  which  agricultural  progress  is 
going.  The  art  of  agriculture  is  best  learned  on  the  farm.  That  is 
the  place  where  the  boy  learns  how  to  plow,  plant,  and  reap,  and  how 
to  feed  and  care  for  stock.  It  is  true  that  at  an  agricultural  college 
or  other  school  where  the  farmer’s  boy  may  reside  for  a  considerable 
period  he  may  learn  new  and  better  ways  of  doing  these  things  than 
on  his  father’s  farm,  but  what  chance  is  there  that  he  can  ever  learn 
such  things  as  a  child  in  a  common  rural  school  where  most  of  his 
time  must  necessarily  be  given  to  acquiring  the  rudiments  of  a  gen¬ 
eral  education  J)  If  he  is  to  be  taught  agriculture  at  all  in  the  com¬ 
mon  school,  the  course  must  consist  very  largely  of  the  principles 
underlying  agricultural  practice,  that  is,  he  must  be  taught  why 
he  plants  and  plows  and  reaps  in  one  way  rather  than  another  and 
what  laws  of  nature  he  violates  in  the  bad  management  of  his  crops, 
stock,  or  dairy,  and  the  penalties  which  will  surely  result.  But  agri¬ 
cultural  principles  are  complex  affairs,  having  their  foundation  in 
several  sciences  and  only  imperfectly  understood  even  by  the  most 
advanced  investigators.  They  are  matters  which  the  mature  mind 
may  profitably  consider,  but  which  are  out  of  place  in  elementary 
schools.  For  this  reason  most  of  the  experiments  in  teaching  agri¬ 
culture  in  the  lower  schools  have  proved  failures.  It  is  true  that 
something  has  been  done  in  Europe,  but  it  is  only  here  and  there 
where  unusually  gifted  teachers  have  been  found  that  even  a  meas¬ 
ure  of  success  has  been  attained.  In  our  rural  elementary  schools 
there  is  much  less  prospect  that  any  useful  work  of  this  kind  can  be 
done. 

NATURE  TEACHING  SHOULD  BE  INTRODUCED  IN  COMMON  SCHOOLS. 

There  is  every  reason  to  believe  that  the  plan  of  “nature  teaching,” 
as  proposed  by  Cornell  University,  may  prove  a  grand  success  and  be 
of  very  great  benefit  to  farmers’  children//  The  element  of  education 
which  is  at  present  most  lacking  in  our  common  schools  is  the  train¬ 
ing  of  the  powers  of  observation.  The  children  need  above  all  things 
else  to  be  taught  to  observe  carefully  and  correctly  and  to  state  their 
observations  in  clear  and  terse  language.  The  ordinary  child,  whether 
on  the  farm  or  in  the  town,  actually  sees  comparatively  little  in  the 
world  about  him.  The  wonders  of  the  trees  and  plants  in  park  or 
meadow,  of  birds  and  insects  flying  about  the  house,  float  like  shadowy 
visions  before  his  eyes.  “  Seeing,  he  sees  not.”  He  needs  a  teacher 
who  can  open  his  eyes  and  fix  his  mind  on  the  realities  among  which 
his  daily  life  is  passed.  This  accurate  observation  of  natural  objects 
and  facts  is  the  only  foundation  on  which  scientific  attainments  can 
rest.  The  scientist  is  chiefly  a  man  who  sees  better  than  his  fellow 
men.  But  it  is  also  a  great  help  in  practical  life.  Many  farmers 
acquire  much  of  this  power  by  their  own  unaided  efforts.  And  these 
are  the  very  men  who  most  regret  that  they  did  not  have  in  early  life 


POPULAR  EDUCATION  FOR  THE  FARMER. 


287 


the  help  of  a  trained  teacher.  The  farmer’s  child  lives  where  lie  has 

the  best  opportunity  for  such  training.  It  would  benefit  him  in  the 

practice  of  his  art,  and  it  would  add  an  interest  to  his  life  which  would 

do  much  to  wean  him  from  a  desire  to  leave  the  farm  for  the  turmoil 

and  uncertain  struggles  of  the  town.  With  proper  provision  for  the 

training  of  teachers  in  normal  and  other  schools,  it  would  be  entirely 

feasible  to  have  this  nature  teaching  in  all  our  common  schools 

within  a  few  years.  It  is  such  teaching  that  the  child  mind  craves. 

With  it  the  school  becomes  a  delightful  place  and  the  teacher  an 

angel  of  light.  The  leaflets  which  the  College  of  Agriculture  of  Cornell 

* 

University  is  issuing  show  how  vitally  this  nature  teaching  may  be 
made  to  affect  agriculture,  though  it  is  not  in  itself  the  teaching  of 
agriculture.  In  one  leaflet  the  teacher  is  instructed  to  have  the  chil¬ 
dren  plant  squash  seeds,  dig  some  of  them  up  at  intervals  to  learn 
how  the  seeds  germinate,  and  watch  what  happens  to  the  little  plants 
as  they  push  their  way  up  through  the  soil  and  unfold  their  stems 
and  leaves  in  the  air.  Four  apple  twigs  form  the  subject  of  some 
other  lessons,  and  it  is  wonderful  how  much  a  child  can  learn  about 
the  way  trees  grow  from  such  simple  materials.  At  another  time  the 
children  are  encouraged  to  plant  little  gardens  and  carefully  watch 
some  of  the  things  which  grow  in  them.  Or  they  study  some  insect 
which  preys  upon  fruit  or  make  collections  of  the  insects  about  their 
homes,  or  watch  them  to  see  whether  they  are  doing  things  good  or 
bad  for  the  farmer. 

Is  it  not  likely  that  a  child  who  is  thus  taught  will  soon  begin  to 


see  a  new  value  and  dignity  in  farm  life  and  to  be  less  envious  of  the 
boy  or  girl  who  is  shut  up  within  the  narrow  confines  of  city  streets 
most  of  the  year?  And  if  the  farmer’s  boy  learns  how  to  accurately 
observe  the  processes  of  nature  with  which  farm  practice  deals  and 
the  foes  with  which  agriculture  lias  to  contend,  are  not  the  chances 
vastly  increased  that  he  will  be  successful  in  managing  nature  so  as  to 
get  the  greatest  favors  from  this  coy  mistress  of  his  life  and  fortune? 


HIGH-SCHOOL  COURSES  IN  AGRICULTURE. 

With  nature  teaching  in  our  common  schools  and  training  in  the 
science  of  agriculture  in  our  colleges,  there  would  yet  remain  one 
vacant  place  in  our  scheme  for  a  system  of  agricultural  education 
suited  to  the  varied  needs  of  all  our  people.  Between  the  college  and 
the  common  school  is  the  high  school,  normal  school,  or  academy. 
Large  numbers  of  farmers’  boys  and  girls  go  to  these  schools,  com¬ 
monly  located  near  their  homes,  who  are  unable  to  attend  the  longer 
and  more  expensive  college  courses.  Surely  some  provision  for 
agricultural  instruction  ought  to  be  made  in  such  schools.  Thus  far 
only  a  few  attempts  have  been  made  in  this  country  to  provide  agri¬ 
cultural  instruction  of  the  higli-school  grade.  It  is  true  that  some  of 
the  agricultural  colleges  receive  students  directly  from  the  common 


288 


YEARBOOK  OF  THE  DEPARTMENT  OF  AGRICULTURE. 


schools,  hut  the  constant  tendency  is  to  raise  the  grade  of  instruction 
in  these  institutions  to  a  college  basis  and,  under  any  conditions,  they 
very  imperfectly  perform  the  duties  of  secondary  schools  of  agricul¬ 
ture.  The  University  of  Minnesota  lias  in  recent  years  maintained 
a  school  of  agriculture  (see  PI.  11)  in  which  instruction  in  agricul 
ture  of  a  lower  grade  than  that  given  in  the  college  of  agriculture  has 
been  successfully  imparted.  This  school  has  proved  quite  popular. 
Some  300  students  were  in  attendance  last  year,  and  it  lias  been  found 
desirable  to  offer  courses  for  girls  as  well  as  boys.  The  State  of 
Alabama  lias  recently  provided  for  the  maintenance  of  a  school  of 
agriculture  of  secondary  grade  in  each  of  the  nine  Congressional 
districts  of  the  State. 

The  establishment  of  such  special  schools  of  agriculture  of  high- 
scliooi  grade  is  greatly  to  be  commended.  One  of  the  best  effects  of 
such  schools  at  the  present  time  is  to  show  the  people  what  distinc¬ 
tions  should  be  drawn  between  colleges  and  high  schools  for  agricul¬ 
tural  education.  By  the  separation  of  these  grades  of  instruction  the 
colleges  will  be  enabled  to  do  their  proper  work  more  efficiently,  and 
better  opportunities  will  be  secured  for  those  students  whose  previous 
training  only  fits  them  for  high-school  work  in  agriculture.  But  it  is 
not  believed  that  these  special  agricultural  high  schools  will  fully 
meet  the  needs  of  our  farmers  for  agricultural  instruction  of  this 
grade.  Any  school  so  distant  from  the  farmer’s  home  as  to  necessi¬ 
tate  long  journeys  and  residence  at  the  school  for  two  or  more  years 
must  necessarily  be  too  expensive  for  most-of  the  farmers’  children, 
especially  after  they  have  reached  an  age  when  their  services  maybe 
more  or  less  utilized  on  the  farm.  What  is  needed  is  courses  in  agri¬ 
culture  in  numerous  schools  to  which  farmers’  children  resort,  near 
their  homes,  to  “finish”  their  education  after  they  are  through  with 
the  common  schools. 

It  is  believed  that  some  such  plan  as  the  following  would  be  practi¬ 
cable  and  beneficial  for  a  large  number  of  schools  and  students: 
Many  of  the  rural  high  schools,  normal  schools,  and  academies  (that  is, 
any  schools  of  higher  grade  than  the  common  or  district  schools)  now 
employ  at  least  one  teacher  qualified  to  give  elementary  instruction 
in  one  or  more  natural  sciences.  As  compared  with  the  more  thorough 
courses  given  in  the  colleges  the  instruction  in  many  branches,  such 
as  rhetoric,  history,  botany,  and  chemistry,  which  is  given  in  the  high 
schools,  consists  of  an  outline  or  skeleton  course,  presenting  in  a 
systematic  way  the  main  features  of  the  science.  In  this  way  the 
pupil  learns  some  of  the  most  important  principles  and,  what  is  of 
more  consequence,  gets  an  idea  of  the  course  and  tendency  of  modern 
progress  in  these  lines  of  knowledge.  This  may  form  the  basis  for 
more  thorough  training  afterwards,  but  even  if  it  goes  no  further  than 
the  high  school,  the  mental  horizon  of  the  student  has  at  least  been 
broadened  for  all  his  life,  and  the  chances  are  that  he  will  prove  a 


Yearbook  U.  S.  Dept,  of  Agriculture,  1897. 


Plate  II 


Fig.  1. —Dairy  Building,  University  of  Minnesota. 


Fig.  2.— Girls’  Home  Building,  School  of  Agriculture,  Minnesota 


POPULAR  EDUCATION  FOR  THE  FARMER, 


289 


more  progressive  and  successful  man  than  if  lie  had  confined  his 
education  to  the  common  school. 

Now,  what  is  being  already  done  in  other  subjects  in  the  high  schools 
may  easily  be  done  in  agriculture.  When  a  teacher  of  natural  science 
is  being  selected  for  such  a  school  located  in  or  near  a  rural  com¬ 
munity,  let  one  requisite  be  that  he  shall  have  had  training  in  the 
science  and  practice  of  agriculture,  preferably  at  an  agricultural  col¬ 
lege.  Such  a  teacher  will  be  able  to  offer,  it  may  be  as  an  optional 
study,  an  outline  course  in  the  theory  and  practice  of  agriculture. 
The  farmer’s  boy  or  girl  may  then  take  this  course  in  agriculture  in 
connection  with  other  courses  at  the  high  school  without  going  far  or 
long  from  home.  If  he  lias  had  nature  teaching  in  the  common  school 
lie  will  be  all  the  better  prepared  for  this  secondary  course  in  agricul¬ 
ture,  and  the  more  practice  he  has  had  on  the  farm  the  better  able 
he  is  likely  to  be  to  appreciate  and  profit  by  a  systematic  course  in 
agriculture  in  the  high  school.  It  is  of  course  not  pretended  that  this 
outline  course  can  take  the  place  of  the  longer  and  more  thorough 
courses  at  colleges  and  special  schools  of  agriculture,  but  it  will  be 
far  better  than  no  course  at  all.  It  will  open  the  mind  of  the  pupil 
to  the  wonderful  progress  which  is  being  made  in  agricultural  science 
and  practice.  It  will  enable  him  to  take  more  thorough  advantage  of 
the  information  furnished  through  books,  bulletins  of  experiment 
stations,  farmers’  institutes,  home  reading  clubs,  etc.  It  will  come 
to  him  at  a  time  of  life  when  he  is  making  choice  of  his  life  occupa¬ 
tion,  and  it  is  believed  it  wilL  be  a  powerful  incentive  to  keep  those 
boys  on  the  farm  who  are  fitted  to  get  the  most  in  every  way  out  of  a 
farmer’s  life. 


CONCLUSION. 


In  1896,  out  of  a  total  population  of  some  70,000,000  in  the  United 
States,  16,000,000  young  persons  were  enrolled  in  the  schools  and  col¬ 
leges,  of  whom  three-fourths,  or  12,000,000,  were  in  places  of  less  than 
8,000  inhabitants.  In  schools  having  secondary  grades,  that  is,  high 
schools,  normal  schools,  and  academies,  it  is  estimated,  from  somewhat 
imperfect  statistics,  that  there  were  600,000  pupils  in  7,000  schools. 
Probably  400,000  of  these  secondary-school  students  were  in  5,000 
schools,  located  in  places  having  less  than  8,000  inhabitants.  If  agri¬ 
culture  could  be  generally  taught  in  schools  of  secondary  grade,  it  is 
obvious  that  the  effect  would  be  widespread.  How  much  more  widely 
such  instruction  might  be  diffused  than  it  is  at  present  may  be  inferred 
from  the  fact  that  in  1897  there  were  in  all  only  64  colleges  having 
courses  in  agriculture,  which  were  taken  by  3,930  students. 

It  is  evident  we  are  making  much  progress  in  devising  and  carrying 
out  wise  plans  for  the  education  of  the  farmer.  With  nature  teach¬ 
ing  in  the  common  schools,  high  and  normal  school  courses  in  agricul¬ 
ture,  colleges  of  agriculture,  experiment  stations,  farmers’  institutes, 


290  YEARBOOK  OF  THE  DEPARTMENT  OF  AGRICULTURE. 


liome  reading  circles,  and  the  agricultural  press,  the  farmer  would 
have  a  quite  complete  system  of  education  in  his  art.  This  would 
bring  agriculture  well  into  line  with  the  great  commercial  and  manu¬ 
facturing  enterprises  of  our  day,  which  owe  so  much  to  technical  edu¬ 
cation,  and  would  greatly  help  to  take  away  from  agriculture  the 
reproach  of  being  a  “belated  industry.” 

C 


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